Inferiority
by magratj
Summary: Cath's POV - GS - Coming second hurt. Response to the third Unbound Improv Challenge


Title: Inferiority

Author: meg

Rating: G 

Spoilers: Nil

Disclaimer: Seriously, who'd think I'd own em?

A/N: Response to the third Unbound Improve Challenge. First and Last lines are provided. My response to the first line was instinctive (I have numerous nieces and nephews to blame for that), and the rest probably came from the fact that I was reading spoilers for episode 22 just before I read the challenge. Hence, I'm a tad nasty to Catherine. 

"Why is there Jell-o here?" Greg asked

"Cause it's a kids birthday party," Warwick retorted. 

"I know that. But Jell-o?"

"You never had Jell-o at a birthday party?"

"No, I can't say I did."

"You had a deprived childhood," Nick observed. 

"Indeed I did," Greg sighed dramatically. 

The boys were standing on the back porch of Catherine's house, watching a number of ten year olds play 'catch and kiss' around Catherine's back yard. Catherine had invited them, because, as she put it, she needed some adult company during Lindsey's birthday party. Of course, Greg's running commentary left her wondering about the sanity of that decision. 

"Lindsey seems to be enjoying herself though," Nick said, turning his attention away form the developing squabble between Warwick and Greg.

"I think big parties with the boys are the 'in thing' this year," Catherine commented. 

"How things change. You couldn't pay us to talk to the girls when I was that age."

" . . . and I think it's a problem with kids today." Greg's voice was getting slightly heated.

"Greg, what is with you this week?" Catherine demanded, the frustration of the day seeping into her voice. 

"He's missing Sara," Nick said, with a knowing grin. 

It was true, Catherine mused. Sara was one week into an enforced two week vacation. Once HR had realised how little holiday time she had used, and how much overtime she worked, the insisted she take the leave. Oddly enough, she hadn't argued too much, which had been the first thing to set Catherine's natural curiosity afire. She had simply said that her parents had been giving her grief about not seeing her anyway, and that, in order to stop them planning a surprise visit to Vegas, she intended to spend the two weeks with them. Catherine had found that odd as well, because although she had no reason to suspect there was any bad blood there, and although Sara hadn't been home in four years, Sara had never really mentioned her parents before. In that respect, she was a lot like Grissom. 

Damn. She wasn't going to think about him today. She'd promised herself she wouldn't. She turned her attention back to the squealing children. 

"Say, where's Grissom?" Greg asked. 

Well, that lasted.

"He had last night off," Warwick said. "Did he go anywhere?"

"He said he had some business out of town," Nick replied. 

Catherine stood up, as if to move closer to the children. That had been her third clue. When Grissom had told her that not only would he be taking that night off, but that he would not be coming in to work no matter the case as he wouldn't be in Vegas, she knew something was up. Why would he go away for such a short period of time? Restlessly, she drew idle lines ion the dirt with her sandaled foot. 

She wasn't angry about 'them', as such. Everyone in the lab knew there was a 'them', so to speak, just not what the 'them' entailed. He hadn't told her about Sara, true, but she suspected that was more Sara's doing. It wouldn't take all that much work to convince Grissom to keep a secret. Certainly less work than it had taken for Catherine to figure out where he was going, and why. 

And she couldn't be angry about him missing Lindsey's birthday party either. She hadn't told the guys about the party until after he'd told her he'd be away, so she couldn't hold it against him, but it still hurt. 

And therein was the problem. If she were honest with herself, she had not right to expect anything other than friendship from him. That's all they had ever been, and all they would ever be. But it stung that he had chosen Sara over Lindsey. That he had flown out straight after his shift to San Francisco, in order to meet Sara's parents. 

She couldn't hold it against him. Grissom was a good guy. Intelligent, good looking, strong, gentle, with a hidden romantic streak few knew about.  

Damnit but she fell for the wrong types. Once, just once, she'd like to fall for the good guy. Have him feel secure enough in them to fly across the country to meet her parents. Have him be willing to risk everything he'd worked for for twenty years on the chance of a relationship. Why did she always have to fall for the ones who only ended up hurting her? 

For the first time in four years, Catherine felt inferior to Sara. And she hated it. Angrily, she kicked the gravel from her shoe. 


End file.
